Apple Watch Series 12 Review: Small Steps To Better Battery Life

Apple unveiled the Watch Series 12 alongside the Watch Ultra 4 last September, bringing a new chipset, upgraded health sensors, and improved battery life to its smartwatch lineup. While it doesn’t stray far from the design of its predecessors, there are a few changes worth looking at.

I’ve been using the 42mm version for a while now, and while Apple’s latest wearable brings a few welcome changes, the overall experience feels rather familiar. There are some improvements worth talking about, particularly when it comes to health tracking and battery life, but whether they make a meaningful difference depends on what you’re looking for in a smartwatch.

What Am I Looking At?

If you’ve seen the last few generations of Apple Watch, you’ll know what to expect. The Series 12 retains the same overall design, available in 42mm and 46mm sizes, with aluminium and titanium finishes. The new gold aluminium colour is a nice addition, but otherwise, there’s little to distinguish it from its predecessors.

Apple sent me the 42mm model, which I find comfortable enough to wear throughout the day. Those with bigger wrists may prefer the 46mm version, but the smaller variant works well for me. It’s lightweight, the silicone straps are easy to put on and take off, and the display remains bright and responsive, reaching up to 2,000 nits and dropping to just one nit in dark environments.

Under the hood, the Series 12 runs on Apple’s new S11 chipset, which draws on features from the A20 Pro architecture used in the iPhone 18 Pro. It also features redesigned heart rate sensors, which Apple claims offer its most accurate readings yet, alongside more frequent background heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) measurements.

Battery life has also improved, with Apple claiming more than two days of use, or around 50 hours. The watch introduces revamped Extended Battery GPS and Max Extended Mode options. Another notable addition is the Readiness Score, which rates your daily preparedness on a scale of zero to 10 based on sleep, vitals, training load, and recent activity.

What’s Good About It?

The Series 12 is a pretty good smartwatch, but so was the Series 11. The interface is smooth, apps respond quickly, and navigating the watch remains a fuss-free experience. The new chipset keeps things running smoothly, although I wouldn’t say the difference is particularly noticeable in everyday use.

The more interesting upgrade is health tracking. I can’t independently verify Apple’s claim about improved heart rate accuracy, but the watch did give me a decent idea of my wellbeing during testing.

As luck would have it, I contracted the flu during the first few weeks. The Series 12 tracked the rather drastic changes in my heart rate during bouts of fever, coughing, and a runny nose. This doesn’t prove that its new sensors are more accurate than before, but having a watch that keeps an eye on your heart rate when you’re feeling like absolute rubbish is reassuring.

The watch now takes background heart rate readings every five seconds, while HRV measurements are collected up to 24 times more frequently than on previous models. This provides a more detailed picture of your body, particularly overnight, and feeds into both your Sleep Score and the new Readiness Score.

The score ranges from zero to 10, with descriptions including Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready, and Go For It. It offers a quick indication of whether you might want to take things easy or push yourself a little harder, rather than making you dig through multiple health metrics.

However, much like Sleep Score, you’ll need seven nights of sleep data before the watch can establish an initial baseline and generate Readiness Scores. These measurements should also be treated as reference points rather than medical advice, but they can help you become more conscious of your health. Familiar features such as ECG and blood oxygen tracking are still available too.

Meanwhile, workout detection remains handy for forgetful users. The Series 12 can suggest tracking activities such as walking after around five to 10 minutes, having already recorded your movement before the notification appears. You can disable these suggestions if you find them annoying, but I appreciate having the option.

Apple has also added a single-tap gesture alongside existing double-tap and wrist-flick controls. You can use these to navigate Smart Stack widgets, dismiss notifications, silence timers, or return to the watch face without touching the screen. Combined with Apple Pay, music controls, and remote camera access, the Series 12 remains a convenient companion for everyday tasks.

What’s The Catch?

Battery life. Yes, we’re still talking about battery life.

To Apple’s credit, the Series 12 lasted over two days on a single charge during my testing. However, I’m a casual user who mainly relies on it for everyday tasks rather than extensive GPS workouts, so heavier users may see different results.

Even so, the improvement is welcome, especially if you wear the watch overnight to track your sleep. Charging is relatively quick, taking around an hour for a full top-up in my experience, but Apple’s wearable still falls short of many Android smartwatches that can last several days or even a week.

I’d really like to see an Apple Watch that lasts five days or more without requiring me to change how I use it. For now, you’ll still need to keep the proprietary charging puck nearby and plan around charging sessions.

My other complaints are minor. Some health app icons, particularly Blood Oxygen and Cycle Tracking, aren’t particularly intuitive for newcomers, although switching to Grid View can make them easier to identify.

Then there’s the Audio Intelligence feature, which I’m less enthusiastic about. Sound Recognition can alert you to sirens, doorbells, and a baby crying, while Instant Shazam identifies songs when you raise your wrist. These features are available now, but upcoming additions such as Live Rewind and Siri Recap are more contentious.

Live Rewind will transcribe the previous 15 seconds of spoken words, while Siri Recap will summarise detected conversations or speech into notes on your iPhone. Apple says the processing happens on-device, and you’ll be able to configure or disable these features independently.

Still, if you’re already paranoid about your phone listening to your conversations, having another device on your wrist processing ambient audio probably won’t help. Some of these features may be useful, but I suspect most people can live without them.

Apple’s redesigned Health app is also due later this year, bringing AI-generated summaries, Health Age, and additional wellness metrics. These additions could be useful, but I wouldn’t buy the Series 12 based on features that aren’t available yet. Speaking of which…

Should I Buy It?

The Apple Watch Series 12 is a decent refinement rather than a major leap forward. Its more frequent health readings, new Readiness Score, and improved battery life are welcome additions, but they aren’t necessarily reasons to upgrade.

If you’re using a Series 9 or older model, the accumulated improvements make the Series 12 worth considering. However, if you’re already using the Series 10 or Series 11, there’s little reason to switch unless the new health metrics are particularly important to you. The same goes for owners of more recent Apple Watch Ultra models.

Starting at RM1,799, the Series 12 remains a considerable investment for a smartwatch that still struggles to last a week on a charge. That said, it’s an expected price point for an Apple wearable, and previous generations may be more tempting now that the latest models are available.

Ultimately, the Series 12 is a better Apple Watch, but not a must-have upgrade. If your current model is still doing its job, there’s little harm in holding on to it for another year.